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,-~†%$£### several centuries after it had last ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## belonged to us, we went on an outing to ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# the glass factory that bore our family #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ name. it had changed owners many times £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ since our ancestors death, and then $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ stood abandoned for a long while. £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# finally, the natural end station for #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## the buildings that survive: a museum, ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### and a gift shop. ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# there's a long time since my family #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ made anything. by many, we would be £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ considered poor. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# there are two main factory buildings, #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## domed things of several floors, made in ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## reminescent of some cathedral. ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# custom-made glass, of course, large and #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ practical. on the eastern building, $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ some are shattered. £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## the other one is publicly open. there's ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### a museum, with wax figures of my great ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## great great grandfather, or something. ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# various tools (or replicas) laid out on #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ tables, with explaining texts. a lot of £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ glass of varying thickness. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# %% #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## %% %% ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## %% %% ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# %% #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ i quickly sneak out, and climb into the $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ other building. the contrast is £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# overwhelming. it must have stood #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## derelict for a long time, windows ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### broken, metallic trash and pools of ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## dark glass all over the floor. no ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# electric lights, but i can see by the #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ light that shines in wherever the dark £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ windows are missing a pane. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# however, the greatest difference is the #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## higher floors: this building has none. ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### it is one massive hall, stretching away ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## infinitely above me. somewhere up there ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# is some great iron latticework, from #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ where chains are suspended, and parts £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ of machinery has been falling down. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# there is, in the middle of the great #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## hall, a thin spiral staircase that ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### leads up there. i sneak over there, and ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## take a few reluctant steps. after just ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# a revolution, i notice that for each #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ step the building starts to glow, the £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ bricks turning a dark red, and then $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ orange, all the piled up debree being £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# lit from behind. #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### i stop ready to run down and out, but ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## there's someone else on the staircase ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# with me now, pressed close. he's #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ looking like me, short hair and thin £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ arms, but with ears from some animal, $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ and more disturbingly, completely made £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# of dark liquid glass. #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### %% ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## %% %% ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ %% %% £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ %% $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# my fear holds me in place while he #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## starts operating levers and dials set ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### in the center of the staircase. slowly, ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## it starts spinning, circling upwards. ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# it's an elevator! i start to run #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ downwards, but now the liquid boy £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ creature grabs hold of me. i try to $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ shake him off, but he's too strong, and £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# pulls me back up beside him. #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### this time, i turn angry instead. what ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## the hell? who is this guy, acting like ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# this? i reach out my free arm and slam #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ a random lever. some metal bar is £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ suddenly released between us, hitting $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ him on the arm, forcing my release. i £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# shove him off of me, and he falls into #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## the levers, messing them up. ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## curtain is dropped around me. but the ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# elevator also speeds up significantly. #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ the walls are flaring now, yellow, $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ white, almost blue. i close my eyes and £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# curl into a ball. but then, the glass #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## boy screams, a piercing sound that ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## becomes too liquid, his body pooling ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# down in his now massive tail, and the #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ drop that falls toward the factory $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ floor. £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### keep his body upright. can't reach the ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## levers, claws at my chainmail cage, ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# while his body is turning into dark #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ pearls. finally, he's lost too much of £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ himself and the scream is cut short. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ the last of him rains down. £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## i still can't reach the levers from ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### within my cage. looking up, i try to ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## make out the ceiling, but it's all a ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# whirling sea of colours. below me glows #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ the hellfire of the factory walls, but £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ very faint. i sit down, curl back up, $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ become still. £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## %% ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### %% %% ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# %% %% #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ %% £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ a large clunk shakes my entire body, £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# and snaps me back into reality. i'm #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## back at the factory floor, but the ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### stairs are still moving slightly, ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## clicking in place, carrying me the last ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# few centimeters. i came from below, #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ somehow. the chainmail is retracted, £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ and i slowly dismount the stairs. $%†~-,,,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,-~†%$£# shaking and crying, i make my way over #£$%†~-,,,
,,-~†%$£## the factory floor, wading through dark ##£$%†~-,,
,-~†%$£### glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ###£$%†~-,
,,-~†%$£## i see there's something faint inside ##£$%†~-,,
,,,-~†%$£# them. embryos? are these eggs? #£$%†~-,,,
,,,,-~†%$£ £$%†~-,,,,
,,,,,-~†%$ i shudder, and climb back out. $%†~-,,,,,
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